Conference Synopsis: Conscious Eating
will inform and empower our community on the true nature of sustainable food choices. Food is in our lives every day, but what are the most ethical, environmental and healthy choices to make? Are you sure you know? Experts in the field of sustainable agriculture and eating will answer your questions and help you understand why we need a truly stable global and local food system where we all have access to healthy food, where all are treated with compassion, and where all are well fed.

In recent years, animal shelters and sanctuaries in urban and suburban areas have seen a dramatic increase in backyard chicken-keeping.
As the popularity of raising backyard flocks in urban areas has grown, farm animal shelters have become inundated with calls to take in
unwanted chickens. Karen Davis will discuss the pros and cons of keeping backyard chickens in urban areas, what chickens need for
happiness and wellbeing, and suggestions if you are considering or already have a backyard flock.

Karen Davis, PhD
is the President and Founder of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization that addresses the treatment of domestic fowl in food
production, science, education, entertainment, and human companionship situations. She is the author of several books including Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at theModern Poultry Industry and More Than a Meal: The Turkey in History, Myth, Ritual, andReality. Karen Davis was profiled in The Washington Post for her outstanding work on behalf of the birds. She maintains a sanctuary for chickens on the Eastern Shore
of Virginia. www.upc-online.org.

The Alternative to the Alternatives: Veganism as a Response to Industrial AgriculturePresented by James McWilliams, PhD
10:00-10:50 am

We are all well aware of the problems with factory farmed-animal products. But what about the alternatives? It's very common these days
for concerned consumers to seek animal products from alternative--more sustainable and humane--systems of productions, or even to raise
their own animals themselves. My presentation will explore the hidden ethical and environmental costs of these alternatives, arguing
that as long as the act of eating animals is not actively stigmatized, factory farms will continue to be the dominant mode of
production.

James McWilliams, PhD
is the author of four books on food and agriculture, including A Revolution in Eating: How the Quest for Food Shaped America
and, most recently, Just Food: WhereLocavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly. His work has appeared
in the New York Times, Washington Post, Slate, and Forbes. He posts regular columns at the Atlantic.com and on his blog,
eatingplants.org. He is a professor of history at Texas State University and lives in Austin, Texas. www.theatlantic.com/james-mcwilliams.

This presentation will explore the various ways in which individuals can have a positive impact on animals, workers and the
environment. From farm workers in the fields of California to slavery in the chocolate industry, every food-related industry is laced
with its own corporate greed. Ways in which every individual can help make a difference will be covered. Current inequities in our food
system based on ethnicity and income will also be discussed.

lauren Ornelas
is the founder/director of the all-volunteer Food Empowerment Project (foodispower.org), a vegan nonprofit seeking to create a more
just world by helping consumers recognize the power of their food choices. She’s been active in the animal rights movement since
1987, has done numerous factory farm investigations, ran Viva!USA, and, with help from activists, got Trader Joe’s to stop
selling duck meat. She is also the spark that got Whole Foods Market’s CEO to become a vegan. lauren is the Silicon Valley Toxics
Coalition’s Campaign Director. www.foodispower.org.

Your Role in Global Depletion: New Food Choice Perspectives
from the book COMFORTABLY UNAWAREPresented by Dr. Richard A. Oppenlander
2:00-2:50 pm

Dr. Oppenlander discusses the ways in which our food choices are affecting human health, the planet's health and the welfare of the
animals, while discussing why sustainability initiatives would benefit from including food choice as a relevant topic in curbing global
depletion. In this presentation, Dr. Oppenlander challenges the audience to rethink the way in which they view sustainable. He provides new scientific data about the rate at which our food choices are single-handedly contributing to the demise of our
planet’s resources, while conveying viable new ways to change our current course by modifying our sustainability focus.

Dr. Richard Oppenlander
is the author of Comfortably Unaware: Global Depletion and FoodChoice Responsibility. Dr. Oppenlander is a
sustainability and wellness advocate, writer, and speaker committed to improving the health of our planet. He brings an eclectic
combination of experiences regarding this topic spanning the past 40 years. He is president and founder of an organic vegan food
production and education business, an animal rescue operation, and has given hundreds of lectures, presentations, and open discussions
on the topic of food choice. Dr. Oppenlander and his wife Jill have also raised three children, all of whom are athletes, on a purely
plant-based diet and lifestyle. www.comfortablyunaware.com.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and Ian Elwood will talk about the work they are doing to advocate for a healthful, humane, and sustainable
urban farming policy. They will address issues that face the city in creating a food policy that will encourage residents to grow foods
that are healthful to eat, while simultaneously having the least negative impacts on people, animals, environment and the city of
Oakland.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
is an award-winning author of five books, including the bestselling The Joy of Vegan Baking, The Vegan Table, Color Me Vegan, Vegan’s Daily Companion, and The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has guided people to becoming and staying vegan for over 12 years through
sold-out cooking classes, bestselling books, inspiring lectures, engaging videos, and her immensely popular audio podcast,
“Vegetarian Food for Thought.” Using her unique blend of passion, humor, and common sense, she empowers and inspires people
to live according to their own values of compassion and wellness. She also contributes to National Public Radio and The Christian
Science Monitor, and has appeared on The Food Network and PBS. www.compassionatecooks.com.

Ian Elwood
works to advocate for animals by reforming social and economic systems that contribute to the suffering of domesticated and
free-roaming animals. He specializes in media and communications technology as they relate to nonprofit, social justice and advocacy
work. He has worked for environmental and social justice nonprofits such as International Rivers, CorpWatch and Media Alliance. He is
co-founder of Neighbors Opposed to Backyard Slaughter, an organization founded to help cities achieve food security while protecting
animals, environment and community. www.noslaughter.org.

There is a new genre of texts which argue for “local” and “humane” farms in terms of helping both the
environment and protecting the animals. I critically engage with these so-called “compassionate carnivores” and their new
arguments for “humane” or “happy” meat and document that the rise of small-scale farms can never serve as a
truly effective strategy to improve the lives of animals. Instead, I suggest, those concerned with suffering of animals should join
with animal rights activists to effect positive change.